NEW RULES ALLOW SAFER GRANTS TO PREVENT LAYOFFS, RESTORE CUTS
Updated June 25, 2009
Congress has voted to allow the use of federal funding to rehire laid off fire fighters and prevent fire department staffing reductions. The new rules for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants make funding available to help keep IAFF members safe and on the job and bring back those who have been laid off as a result of the current financial crisis. The bill is now on its way to the White House.

"The IAFF made it an urgent priority to pass this proposal to waive current requirements and allow SAFER grants to be used to save our members' jobs and restore cuts made to staffing," says IAFF General President Harold Shaitberger. "With the passage of this waiver, fire departments can use this money to prevent layoffs and ensure adequate staffing."

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano agreed to postpone the 2009 application process for SAFER grants until the new waiver authority is in place. This assures that the $210 million that Congress appropriated for SAFER can be used to address the current wave of staffing cuts. The IAFF is working with DHS to establish the new rules and will post information on the application period as soon as it is available.

The IAFF strongly urges affiliates to work with their fire departments to apply for SAFER money. "As we all know, adequate staffing is critical to effective response and fire fighters and public safety," says Shaitberger.

Under the original law, - pased in 2004- communities could only receive a SAFER grant if they planned to increase fire department staffing levels. Fire fighters hired with SAFER grants had to be retained for at least five years, and the fire department couldn't reduce staffing levels during this period. These restrictions have combined to prohibit fire departments from using SAFER grants to prevent layoffs, and have discouraged fire departments from applying for SAFER grants during this current economic recession.

ORLANDO FIRE FIGHTERS PROTEST LAYOFFS
Updated June 18, 2009
Hundreds of fire fighters from across Florida picketed Orlando City Hall June 15 to protest Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's proposal to lay off 46 fire fighers. Dyer plans to eliminate approximately 10 percent of the city's workforce to avoid a budget deficit projected at $43.5 million next year. IAFF members attending the Florida Professional Firefighters (FPF) Convetion were among the union workers at the rally.

Picketers wearing gold-and-balck T-shirts and carrying signs saying "Your Service, Your Safety, Rescue OFD, Save OPD "lined both sides of the street for a full city block during the evening rush hour as part of their efforts to win public support.

Dyer maintains that th enumber of jobs cut could be reduced if the public safety unions agreed to give up a 3.5 percent cost of living increase, but Steve Clelland, president of Orlando Local 1365 says the mayor has never said hor much money he wants public safety workers to give up. The union also argues that city leaders are unwilling to use emergency reserves to bolster public safety. "We are aware that these are tough times," says Clelland,, "We are willing to give back, but we are being asked to cut more than less important services."

Former Palm Bay Local 2446 members Jim Visser, Jim Irvin, and Lee Sorenson send regards to all of us and sincerely appreciated the support received by your local E-board members, Dave GInsburg, Keith Grice, Mike Shervington and Scott Adam walking the lines in support of the Orlando Local.

TWO YEARS LATER, CHARLESTON TRAGEDY STILL FRESH FOR FIRE FIGHTERS.
Updated June 18, 2009
Charleston, SC Local 61 and the city of Charleston, SC are marking the two-year anniversary of the Sofa Super Store fire, the inferno that killed nine fire fighters trapped inside the builidng. The nine deaths made it the deadliest fire in the fire service since September 11, 2001.

Although the Sofa Super Store fire occured two years ago, the tragedy remains fresh in the memories of Charleston fire fighters, Charleston Local 61 President Bill Haigler says. "Everybody here still does something everday to remember the guys who died," he says. "Moving forward is great. That's important. But we need to remember these guys."

A ceremony, to take place June 18th on the site of the former Sofa Super Store, will allow fire fighters, family members and the public to remember the men - Bradford Baity, Michael Benke, Melvin Champaign, James Drayton, Michael French, William Hutchinson, Mark Kelsey, Louis Mulkey, and Brandon Thompson.

The city purchased the sofa store property for $1.85 million after the fire. The store and warehouse were demolished in 2008, and the 2.5 acre site has remained vacant. Charleston's city commission is consdering proposals to build a memorial to the fallen fire fighters. The city set aside $90,000 to pay for design plans, but there's not money in place now to fund a memorial. A proposed deisgn of the memorial includes placing a marker where each fire fighters was found in the Sofa Super Store ruins.

The site of the memorial also would include a builidng that would serve as the new headquarters for the Charleston Fire Department and a training facility.

The ceremony began with fire fighters and families of the fallen fire fighters met privately at the site of the tragedy. The public was allowed onto the grounds from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

The low-key ceremony will include just one formal presentation. Charleston Fire Chief Thomas Carr wil lread the names of each of the fall and a bell will be rung in honor of each man.

"This seemed to make the most sense," says Carr. "The families and the fire fighters drove this. We got a lot of feedback from them, and they said they wanted to be togther and be in the stations. It's all part of the brotherhood," says Carr, who was hired by Charleston in October 2008.

In the days leading up to that anniversary, Charleston fire fighters are inspecting the city's furniture stores to review the risk of fire at each business and help with plans to improve safety by eliminating the threat of fire and prevent another tragedy. The inspections are a legacy to the fallen fire fighters.

The Sofa Super Store fire "is still in front of everyone's mind," says Carr. "Everyone's wired differently, but it's certainly ever present. That said, it provides us with a focal point as we move forward."

Other events have been held in honor of the Charleston fire fighters who died. Local 61 organized a 5k race on Sunday, June 14 - the "Run for the NIne" - to remember the men and raise money to buy equipment for the fire department.

The Charleston Fire Department has 60 more fire fightesr than it did in June 2007, and whn the current recruit class of 29 graduates in August, the department will have four fire fighters on every truck.

The additional staffing address on concern: The report by the city's own panel, headed by Gordon Routley, concluded that the dpartment was "inadequately staffed, inadequately trained, insufficiently equipped and organizationally unprepared to conduct an operation of this complexity in a large commercial occupancy."

In June 2008,a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concluded that the Sofa Super Store fire probably began after someone tossed a lit cigarette near trash and discarded furniture.

UNION REQUESTS SECOND PENSION SUPPLEMENT
Updated June 25, 2009
The union has requested to meet with City Officials in an attempt to secure a second supplement benefit to our pension. The benefit sought will have no cost or other liability to the city, and will be funded solely and exclusively by Chapter 175 funding. The benefit sought is $382.00 monthly, and if Chapter 175 funding could not support it in any given year, the benefit would either be reuced to what Chapter 175 could pay for, or the benefit simply would not be paid in a given year.
More details on this could be found on the forum.

FUTURE ARBITRATION HEARINGS
JUNE 26, 2009 - VIOLATION OF FIREFIGHTER BILL OF RIGHTS (Postponed by City/Union Agreement from April 22, 2009)

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS HAVE OPENED: Sessions have been scheduled for June 2, June 10 and June 23, 2009